Don’t expect the NHL to say much publicly during this week’s planned CBA talks. According to CSNPhilly.com’s Tim Panaccio, the league plans to go the “silent route” with “the less said publicly, the better off.”

At most, Pancaccio reports the NHL may release the odd statement, a la Bill Daly’s “we talked about a lot of stuff and plan to talk about more stuff” (not his exact words, but pretty much) note that followed this weekend’s meetings.

Common sense tells us this is a good sign, as much of the talk that’s been done publicly during the work stoppage has been for the purpose of disparaging the other side.

Perhaps he can’t face another season of Bryz and his “humongous big” contract.

tmoore4075 - Nov 5, 2012 at 1:13 PM

That’s probably a good sign. I’m gonna hold back my optimism until there is some actual news that they are close to a deal or agreed in principle to a deal.

tfaltin - Nov 5, 2012 at 1:29 PM

The fact that Daly and Steve Fehr actually spent consecutive hours together in the same room is encouraging, and the lack of hostile communication between the parties is great. I am hopeful for a quick resolution from this point, with the possibility of an opening night puck drop on Black Friday (Yes, I know games are cancelled through November, but they could be re-scheduled).

However, I am still very disappointed in everyone involved that it has gotten to this point. Both sides are finally behaving professionally. But what took them so long? It’s a bittersweet sentiment that will probably fade if the NHL is a good on-ice product. Until then, I don’t want to hear from either party’s leadership group

i just feel like its going to happen, so why prolong the inevitable? every few weeks they talk about the meetings they have scheduled and get every1s hopes up. then they come out of it saying how disappointed in the other side. i was really looking forward to what the flyers young guns would do this year after getting a decent playoff run under their belts. but the way the cba talks have been going, i just dont see it happening. so why not just say so now rather than holding every1 in suspense.

tmoore4075 - Nov 5, 2012 at 2:54 PM

They should give up now because of what happened before? If this was mid-December I’d start to agree with you but we’ve got time. Yeah you’re right we’ve had moments where we thought maybe they’d get close but didn’t. This is however different. This is the first time they’ve come out of a meeting and said the same thing pretty much. Am I frustrated? Yes. But should they cancel the season now? No way they’ve got time to get a decent season in still.

blomfeld - Nov 5, 2012 at 3:42 PM

Person A: apparently they still don’t get it ?

Person B: I know friend … and I suspect that many “never will” either ?

In all seriousness, I’m dumbfounded by the fact that so many people “apparently” remain blind to what’s actually going down here ? From saying things like “why did we have to get to this point?” or “they should have done this in the beginning” to the notion of so-called “life-long” fans throwing in the towel, it’s amazing that people either “can’t” or “won’t” accept reality ? Like you, I also don’t like what’s happened here one bit. But then many things in life are not done above board. It’s unfortunate but that’s the way it often is and so we just have to accept that and not let our emotions be adversely affected by these people. Regardless, hockey’s just around the corner now and that’s a good thing, eh ?

“All the King’s horses and all the King’s men … are lined up and ready to do it again !”

*** some remarks which I previously offered just 24 hours into the lockout ***

blomfeld – Sep 16, 2012 at 2:17 PM

This business about caring for the fans is very touching and cute no doubt. But in the world of Bettman and the NHL owners, sentimentality has absolutely no place at the table. The fact of the matter is that for many of the owners, there’s “much” to be gained from this lockout. When you take the season in context, October and November are no doubt the two biggest “loss-making” months of all, where the majority of US based teams likely don’t even cover their “variable” costs (ie: player salaries, operational expenses, etc), let alone make a contribution towards “fixed” costs. And when that happens, basic economics will tell you that operations should and must cease immediately.

So while this lockout is upsetting for the many fans, it makes perfect sense for the ones who are pulling the strings … the team owners. And people should not lose sight of the fact that there are far more “loss-making” US owners than there are “profit-making” Canadian owners. I’m personally convinced that what’s unfolding now was furtively agreed upon way back at the start of the year. And I predict that the season will commence in either late November or early December … just in time for the Christmas retail season, when little Johnny & Janey demand their new $300 hockey jerseys.

manchestermiracle - Nov 6, 2012 at 12:21 AM

You’ve also predicted that this week (Nov. 5-10) would be when a deal is reached. If next Sunday rolls around and they’re still “negotiating” I expect you to apologize for your unfounded ramblings and refrain from posting again until a deal is actually reached.

Oh, and the league “going the silent route” this week does not bode well for anyone. Stating ahead of time that you won’t have anything to report publicly must mean you have no faith in reaching an agreement, at least not this week.

id4joey - Nov 6, 2012 at 9:15 PM

manchestermiracle, To predict incorrectly is more credible than not to predict, and too criticize those who do. Easy!